Memory card speed test

number41 · 4 Jan 2007 at 23:49

Nazbit said:
Thats interesting! I have to say, I am pretty suprised about this, I will sort it out with them tomorrow, hopefully it will all go smoothly with minumum fuss.

And @number41, sorry for wrecking your thread mate, you probably have a dart board with my name on it somewhere now

Thats cool, it's been useful to hear other peoples comments as I havent heard back from Sandisk yet regarding my serial numbers. My card looks different to Gords however :confused:

I have the serial numbers and the front is exactly the same as his, but the back looks like this:

This is Gords:

This site shows a 2GB version which could be slightly different...

http://reviews.ebay.com.au/FAKE-San...lash-Cards-Exposed_W0QQugidZ10000000001449653

I'm just going to wait for Sandisk to get back to me now. Thats the simplest option and avoids the paranoia!!

^^Gord^^ · 5 Jan 2007 at 09:19

My 2GB Extreme III looks the same as that Number41 so I won't start to worry yet. You are best to phone Sandisk in the UK, they will check the s/n for you there and then.

divuk83 · 5 Jan 2007 at 09:29

Useful bit of software that. My Extreme 2 SD cards are both getting 10mb/sec with my Sandisk usb 2 reader. Good to know that they are not fakes (well if they are they are good ones!).

Dave

Nazbit · 5 Jan 2007 at 11:03

^^Gord^^ said:
http://www.g0rd.com/gallery2/v/Other/Photography/Misc/Sandisk.jpg.html
The test I used when someone tried to pass off a fake to me (it's happened twice) was to set up the camera as follows:

* manual mode
* exposure set to 1/4000 seconds
* manual focus
* raw mode only
* the lens cap on
* burst mode

Then to shoot a burst of 6 pictures (or enough to fill your buffer) and to time how long it takes the card to write the images (the red light to stop flashing). From that you can get a very good idea of performance but the best test is to ring Sandisk and check the serial number. I've done that a few times and they can check it over the phone, usually a five minute call.

I have just carried out this test,

One card empties the buffer in just over 2 seconds, one took 3 seconds.

In comparison my "high street camera shop" brand card that is rated at 15mbs 100x (as opposed to the extreme III's 20mbs and 133x) and that took dead on 6 seconds to empty the buffer.

That seems like good performance right? :confused:

The serial numbers are blaitently the same on both cards though.

^^Gord^^ · 5 Jan 2007 at 11:20

Sounds like it hasn't filled the buffer, the 400D can shoot 10 RAW images before the buffer is filled so maybe try 11?

But to be honest, even if they give the full blown performance the fact they have the same serial number means they are fake and you have no warranty.

Nazbit · 5 Jan 2007 at 13:06

Yer, exactly, its not with the bother. I bought these cards for a trip to new york in feb so the last thing I want is these cards to fail, and I suppose that could happen at any moment.

I emailed the shop this morning, now I am waiting for a reply.

mrgubby · 5 Jan 2007 at 13:35

Just had a play with some memory cards , HDtach and a multi-card USB2 reader.

7 year old 32Mb (generic) SM : 4.6Mb/s
4 year old 128Mb (generic) SD : 6.7Mb/s
2 year old 1Gb (PNY) CF : 2.3Mb/s
1 year old 1Gb (Kingston Elite Pro 50x) : 2.3Mb/s

It looks like my card reader has problems with CF :confused:

number41 · 5 Jan 2007 at 14:30

Nazbit said:
Yer, exactly, its not with the bother. I bought these cards for a trip to new york in feb so the last thing I want is these cards to fail, and I suppose that could happen at any moment.

I emailed the shop this morning, now I am waiting for a reply.

I reckon if you rang Sandisk with one of those serial numbers it would show as a Sandisk Extreme III. I bet the original scammers got a genuine serial number and then simply used it over and over again on the fakes!

I phoned Sandisk this morning (took only a few mins - 0207-365-4193) and they said the serial numbers appeared genuine. You could give them a call too? As you have two of the same serial numbers, however, it sounds a bit dodgy. Dont suppose you could post them so anyone else receiving one with the same serial number will know they have a fake? Both of my cards have different serial numbers.

DR_D · 5 Jan 2007 at 14:52

mrgubby said:
Just had a play with some memory cards , HDtach and a multi-card USB2 reader.

7 year old 32Mb (generic) SM : 4.6Mb/s
4 year old 128Mb (generic) SD : 6.7Mb/s
2 year old 1Gb (PNY) CF : 2.3Mb/s
1 year old 1Gb (Kingston Elite Pro 50x) : 2.3Mb/s

It looks like my card reader has problems with CF

I'm guessing thats just read speeds

I've just tested my CF cards using a USB2 CF Reader and got the following speeds

all tested using HDtach Long Bench (32mb zones)

Brand new 256Mb (Sandisk Standard) : 11.9Mb/s
4 month old 1Gb (Kingston ulimate 120X) : 19.5Mb/s

just as a small test i also ran the kingston card through my epson r300 connected via usb2 and got 1.4Mb/s :eek:

p.s. the cf reader is just a £5 cheapo jobbie from a large well know pc outlet that rips people off

danza · 5 Jan 2007 at 17:40

My 1gb Sandisk Ultra 2 (appears to be genuine) got 0.9mb/s :eek:

I think my £1.49 eBay nasty 'USB 2.0' card reader may have something to do with that though. I hope.

/Goes to eBay to find a decent new one...

Nazbit · 5 Jan 2007 at 17:57

Well I have just heard back about the fake cards. They claim they are "taking the matter very seriously" and that they will give me a full refund.

How about this though, they sent the package by royal mail first class, I have to send it back using royal mail special delivery, they say they will repayu me 70p for the postage of each item I send, so £1.40 then. So why did they charge me £9.00 delivery?

No more shopping there I think.

Dont know where I am going to try for replacements though, as this is a shop I thought I could trust 100%.

^^Gord^^ · 5 Jan 2007 at 18:26

Got to be a bit careful about this reply so that I don't break any rules but I think I'm safe to say you can find all the official stockists for Sandisk here:

http://www.sandisk.com/Retail/Buy.aspx?f=16&id=1019

Nazbit · 5 Jan 2007 at 18:43

Big help mate, cheers

number41 · 5 Jan 2007 at 23:43

Any reason why you would buy sandisk? People seem to fake the sandisks so what about other brands like kingston, etc?

^^Gord^^ · 5 Jan 2007 at 23:56

number41 said:
Any reason why you would buy sandisk? People seem to fake the sandisks so what about other brands like kingston, etc?

Sandisk card's a quick, reasonably priced, reliable and the Extreme range will cope with a lot of abuse without failing. That is why they are popular and it's also why they are faked a lot!

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007-8478

SilverPenguin · 6 Jan 2007 at 01:20

I've not read the whole thread so sorry if this has been mentioned already...

Sandisk do their own card reader that takes full advantage of the transfer speed of the faster cards. These are much faster than standard USB2 card readers. When transfering 15mb D200 RAW files from card to pc it takes just short of a second per picture

number41 · 6 Jan 2007 at 10:08

Received my new crucial CF reader. Ran the test. Getting 20mb/s now

So that goes to show have varied they are! I'm a happy chap now anyway!

Nazbit · 6 Jan 2007 at 17:04

number41 said:
Received my new crucial CF reader. Ran the test. Getting 20mb/s now So that goes to show have varied they are! I'm a happy chap now anyway!

Sounds good at last

What reader have you bought? Reading this thread has caused me to wonder if I should invest in a new one (for when I manage to get a refund on these fake cards :eek:

)

number41 · 6 Jan 2007 at 18:19

Nazbit said:
Sounds good at last

What reader have you bought? Reading this thread has caused me to wonder if I should invest in a new one (for when I manage to get a refund on these fake cards )

Bought this one: